


Confessions

by lait_tea1



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: C-A Support Conversation, Gen, New Mystery spoilers, Support Conversation, Supports, and Awakening spoilers, but only spoilers for the prologues of both, m!robin - Freeform, not a script format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24055393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lait_tea1/pseuds/lait_tea1
Summary: A C-A support conversation between Katarina and M!Robin, and an extra chapter at the end.Contains spoilers for the prologue of New Mystery of the Emblem and Awakening's Premonition (the very first 'prologue').
Relationships: Katarina & My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. C Support

“Oh… why did I wander off myself?” Katarina murmured, distraught. She turned a circle, only to be met by identical corridors and doors in every direction. “I should’ve thought this through better… how am I supposed to go find my room now?”

Well, she knew the exact reason she split up from the crowd… but it didn’t matter now. She’d impulsively sprinted off into a random corridor in a panic after seeing _them_ out of the blue and this was the consequence. It wasn’t too bad, anyway – at least the lamps were still glowing dimly with light (better than none at all), and it didn’t smell of damp air and blood.

Katarina shivered and went back to walking aimlessly in the direction she deemed to be ‘forward’.

_Askr castle certainly is quite big… I don’t recall Com – Anna showing us around here._ Katarina’s gaze flickered down to her feet. The gleaming floors reflected back her face in a pearly sheen. _At least it seems that someone has to have been here recently to clean the floors so well…_

“I’m lost, am I?” She said aloud.

For some strange reason, the thought was… strangely nostalgic. Despite herself, a soft chuckle crept from her throat.

_This reminds me of when Kris got us all lost during march duty… or when Roderick told us about Kris getting lost in Altea castle – somehow, even after living in the squires’ quarters for so many months…_

The smile dissolved from her face.

_No… I mustn’t lose myself in such memories._ She could almost hear Clarisse yelling at her about it now, thorns in her voice stinging like shattered glass. _I’m sorry._

“Hm? I thought I’d heard someone out here. Hello?” Out of the corner of Katarina’s vision – a spark of fire. She jumped, hands flying to her tome on reflex.

“Oh, my apologies. Did I startle you? It’s quite dark, even with the lanterns… wait, give me a moment.”

The spark became a small flame. Katarina clasped her own tome to her chest, breathless even without having spoken a word. An unfamiliar face peered at her through the flickering flame in between them.

“Was it you the one who said you were lost?”

It was a white-haired male in a coat; an unfamiliar face, most likely one of the ‘Heroes’ Anna had claimed to be from a different world. He smiled kindly at her, brown eyes soft. A small flame flickered in his hand; the other was occupied with a red tome. “I’ve not seen you around before. Were you summoned recently?”

“I…” Katarina paused to catch her breath. “I… guess so.”

“Oh! Well, no wonder. Welcome to Askr castle – though I suppose the Commander–” A shiver went down Katarina’s spine. “–must’ve given you the tour already. What’s your name?”

“Er, well–”

“Ah, pardon my rudeness. I don’t think I’ve introduced myself, have I? I’m Robin, from the World of Awakening. And you?”

“I–I’m–” The words tumbled from her throat before she could think. “I’m Katarina… from the World of, er, Mystery.” At least, that was what she was pretty sure ‘her world’ was called, as Anna and that mysterious hooded ‘summoner’ had told her when she’d opened her eyes in this unfamiliar new world.

“The World of Mystery? Isn’t that the world the Hero-King Marth is from?” Robin smiled at her, eyes warm. “You must be lucky to have lived in the same world as he did. I’ve read many tales of his exploits – he sounds like an incredibly strong yet kind man.”

Katarina swallowed. She could only nod wordlessly, words caught in her throat.

“Ah, I nearly forgot. You said you were lost, right?” Robin offered her a hand. “Here, come with me. I can take you where you need to go – I’m pretty familiar with these corridors, after living here for quite some time.”

“Ah… t-thank you… Robin.”

They began walking. Robin seemed to know where he was going, even though each corridor still looked the same to Katarina.

“I’m sorry.” Katarina voiced aloud almost impulsively.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. All of the newcomers tend to have difficulties finding their way around; I hear even Summoner Kiran gets lost sometimes too, and they’ve lived here for… how long now?” Robin chuckled. “But really, don’t worry about it. If you need directions, just ask anyone next time – I’m sure they’d be glad to help.”

“I… understand.”

They fell silent again; the only sound echoing through the corridors being their footsteps. Katarina stared at her flickering reflection, distorted by Robin’s firelight, in the tiles on the floor again.

“Where do you want to go, anyway? I can take you there if you wish – I wasn’t going to be doing nothing in particular right now, anyway.”

“Er… I was going back to my quarters… but you can probably tell that, er, I’m not quite sure where it is. Or… which room it was, really…”

“Then do you remember who you were next to?” Robin cocked his head to the side inquisitively. “I’ve not had the chance to look at the rooming arrangements recently, so I wouldn’t know where you’ve been assigned; but I am quite familiar with the older faces here.”

Katarina strained her mind to recall. “Last night, I… bumped into this person… she had red hair –“ _Like Cecil._ Her mind automatically filled in for her. Katarina shoved the thought away. _No, that was a long time ago… stop it._

“Red hair? Could it be… hm, but no – if it were Minerva, you’d know her name, since she’s from the World of Mystery as well…”

Katarina shivered at the thought of the intimidating Red Dragoon – tales of the Whitewings’ commander had even reached her ears back when she, Clarisse and Legion were following Marth and his knights during the war. “N-no, it’s not… her. Er, she was… holding a lance… if that helps?” _I was afraid she’d impale me with it… I thought she’d found out about my past… – n-no, but then…_

“A lance…? You can’t mean – tell me, did her name start with a C?”

“H-huh?!” _C-cecil’s here too–?! That means avoiding Roderick and Luke all this time was for nothing–_

“You might’ve ran into Cordelia! She’s a friend of mine from the World of Awakening. Probably off for late night training… again.” Robin sighed. “How many times must I tell her…? She really should relax a bit more…”

“O-oh. Right. Of course you meant…” Katarina mentally berated herself. _Of course he couldn’t mean Cecil. If it was Cecil I ran into the other day, I’d know – stupid, letting myself get caught up in my panic there…_

Goodness, even her subconscious was starting to sound like Clarisse…

“I know where her room is, so if you’re next door, then you’ll be able to find your room!” Robin smiled. “And I might even catch her so I can scold her for running off in the middle of the night to train all the time… I always thought she was, but this is the first, solid evidence I have of it…”

“Hey, Robin!”

Katarina gave a start again – for who knows how many times this day. _I’m starting to understand what Ryan felt like all the time…_

There was a flash of blue hair. Katarina’s heart stopped.

“Chrom!” Robin exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

The man, apparently dubbed ‘Chrom’, grinned widely at Robin through their flickering firelight, undeterred by the darkness. “I didn’t realise you were still out and about. I’d have thought you’d be holed up in your room working on tactics as usual.”

“Actually, that was what I was going to do, but–” Robin suddenly paused. “Ah, Katarina – apologies for my rudeness. If you haven’t met him yet, this is Chrom – the Shepherds’ leader and my good friend.”

“Oh… hello.” Katarina said in a hushed voice.

“You don’t have to be worried about anything; just treat me as you would any other Hero in this castle.” Chrom offered her a gloved hand. Hardly even waiting for her to get her bearings, he gave it a firm shake, nearly yanking Katarina off the floor with the force. “Nice to meet you. Maybe one day the Summoner might put us on the same team – I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“O-of course…” Katarina trailed off. “I’ll be… looking forward to it.”

“Ah, right, Robin – I nearly forgot to mention. I just got back from the Training Tower and the Summoner told me to pass on this message to you: they wanted you to go to their room to check over some tactic for tomorrow.”

“Did they? Alright, then. I’ll head over as soon as I drop Katarina off at her room.”

“E-er, it’s okay! I can… make it back myself–”

“Nonsense! I promised I’d help, after all.” Robin shot Chrom a nod. “Thank you for the notification. I’ll head over shortly.”

“Also, helping out newcomers as usual, Robin? I shouldn’t be surprised – you always did get along well with everyone in the Shepherds.”

“Hah!” Robin chuckled. “You flatter me too much, Chrom. You’d do the same, too. Plus, you were the one who rallied everyone under one banner back in Ylisse, after all.”

“Nonsense. It wouldn’t have been possible without…” Robin interrupted himself, glancing guiltily at Katarina. “Ah, my apologies, Katarina. I got caught up there – let’s just get you to your room, shall we?” He shot Chrom a wave. “See you tomorrow, friend.”

“And you too.”

Chrom disappeared down one of the dimly lit corridors. Robin began walking, and Katarina only realised she was still standing there in the middle of the hallway only when the firelight grew dim.

Robin glanced behind himself and waited patiently for her to catch up. “I hope you weren’t too intimidated by Chrom. He’s not fond of people acting differently just because he’s royalty, but Askr has so many books about the tales of other worlds and somehow people just seem to know about his lineage anyway–”

“H-he is?!”

Robin offered her a knowing smile. “Well, perhaps not everyone knows. But don’t worry about it. Besides, there are so many different Heroes here that royalty doesn’t quite exist in the way we consider it back in Ylisse; the Order of Heroes has really pulled everyone together, no matter their social standing or rank. It’s something that reminds me of the Shepherds back at home.”

“Ah… I – didn’t know.” Katarina trailed off, then blurted out: “in fact, he… reminds me of a friend I had back at home.”

“Oh, did he? Pray tell – what was your friend like?”

“Er…” Katarina stammered, suddenly feeling her previous impulsive confidence drain away. “He… was very direct, too; Chrom’s handshake reminded me a lot of, er, my friend. And… he was always so generous and selfless, a-and would… always help others and give kindness to people… even those who didn’t deserve it–”

Katarina suddenly swallowed and bit her tongue. _What are you doing, spilling out your life story to a stranger?! Gods, Katarina, what were you even thinking?! Are you even capable of–_

“Heh… yes, your friend does sound like Chrom. Quite a bit, in fact.” Robin smiled, eyes growing distant for a second. “You know… without Chrom, I don’t know where I’d be right now – quite literally. He offered me a place in the Shepherds after I woke up without memory, too… and I can see what you might mean. The fact that he’d offer a complete stranger a place in the Shepherds… I questioned him myself, you know. I asked him why he did it… especially since we were in a war, and he was the Shepherds’ commander and the brother of the Exalt Emmeryn. It could’ve been a trap… a foil for anyone to get close and stab him in the back.”

Katarina tried to hide the obvious shudder that went through her body.

Robin paused on the steps and smiled wistfully. “He told me… it’s because of… well, it’s just who he is. His desire to help those in need… to him, nobody is undeserving of kindness. Every soldier, every villager; they all deserve to be helped if they need to be.”

“…Chrom… does sound like him.” Katarina admitted quietly. _Except… I don’t think even your friend would think a backstabbing traitor like me would deserve kindness, if he knew…_

“Your friend and Chrom… they’d get along quite well, I’d think.” Robin smiled, eyes sparkling joyously. “Is your friend at the Order of Heroes now?”

“I – don’t think so.” _I… hope he isn’t. I don’t know how I’d ever look him in the eye…_

“A pity. Perhaps you can ask Summoner Kiran about your friend… perhaps one day.” Robin came to a stop at the top of the steps. “Say, Katarina, does this corridor look familiar?”

“Hm…?” Katarina tried to pull herself away from wallowing in self-pity again. “I–I think so. Yes, I think this is it… Thank you, Robin.”

“No problem. Don’t be afraid to ask any of us for help if you get lost next time, alright?” Robin sent her a wave. “See you around. Perhaps we’ll work together on the battlefield one day.”

“Yes… perhaps.” She echoed.

“I should go meet up with the Summoner now… I bid you goodnight.”

With a wave, the white-haired man was off, carrying his flickering light with him. Katarina stood alone in front of the stairway, still clutching her tome to her chest.

_…Kris… I don’t know how I would face you, if you came to this world as well. Would you… forgive me?_


	2. B Support

“Katarina, I didn’t know you were a tactician! That was quite the strategy you came up with there!”

“Eh–?!” Katarina spun around, self-consciously brushing her sweaty bangs from her face. Robin approached her, a yellow tome – still sparking with electricity – in his other hand. “Ah… I’m not really – much of a tactician…”

“Nonsense. You’re certainly experienced; there’s no need to be modest about it.” Robin tucked his tome into his belt, shoving the hand that was still crackling with electricity into his pocket. “You’ll have to tell me about it. One of the best things about being at the Order of Heroes is that I can learn from so many more tacticians…”

“That – that’s certainly… too much praise…” Katarina mumbled with flushed cheeks. “I only… gave a recommendation – I’m sure the Summoner would’ve realised the same thing in due time.”

“Nonsense. Even Kiran was impressed!” Robin patted her shoulder with his free hand. “It’s not something I would’ve come up with myself… though, hah, I suppose I’m not one for coming up with more traditional strategies – not to say that yours were ‘common’ by any means. But we can’t really set fire to – ah, I’m getting off topic here.”

“Hm?” Katarina raised her eyebrows. “You…?”

“That’s something for another time.” Robin smiled mischievously back. “Perhaps we can share stories and tactics one day so I can become a better tactician for the Summoner and the Shepherds when the time comes. I’ve discussed tactics with Sir Jagen, who’s also from the World of Mystery, too, but… even though he did serve as Marth’s advisor and as his tactician of sorts, well, let’s say that I’m not exactly _that_ old, even though I might have white hair. And I’m not quite ready to deal with that many lectures yet.”

“Hehe…” Katarina muffled her giggle behind her hand. _Jagen… you haven’t changed, have you?_ Robin smiled warmly back, clearly pleased with himself for managing to get a laugh out of the purple-haired tactician. However, his expression turned serious again. “Though there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“H-huh? There is?” Katarina felt her voice rise an octave.

“Quite.” Robin’s brow furrowed. “Well… you are from the World of Mystery, right?”

“Y-yes…”

When Robin raised an eyebrow at her expectantly, as if expecting her to say more, Katarina’s gaze only drifted back down to her feet – unable to meet his eyes. Even so, she couldn’t keep her fingers from unconsciously fiddling with the edge of her scarf, or her feet from shuffling nervously…

_He knows, doesn’t he? He knows how I betrayed them… he knows that I don’t deserve any of the kindness they’re giving me. And Luke, Roderick – they looked at me with such kind eyes earlier… and spoke to me like I was their friend…_

She could still recall the horror in their eyes, clear as day. She could still remember how it felt when she forced her expression to harden, to wipe away all traces of Katarina, the eager squire from the Seventh Platoon, to reciting the words of her mission, their shocked, horrified gazes – _They all trusted me and I betrayed them. They hated me…_

_And yet – here they are now. They – they see you as their friend… as their Katarina. The Katarina that never betrayed them, the friend that laughed and smiled and fought by their side…_

There was some part of her subconscious that whispered _This is your chance to redeem yourself. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? For them to forget everything, as if nothing had ever happened, and you could just keep on playing the part of dedicated squire alongside Kris and everyone else and live your ‘happy’ life–_

“…that’s impossible.”

_I don’t deserve any of it. This wouldn’t be right… to deceive them again. To pretend nothing happened… I can’t do it._

“Hm?” Robin looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Did you say something…?” Katarina clamped her mouth shut and only shook her head, not trusting her voice to betray her.

Robin raised an eyebrow, but said nothing of it. Instead, he turned slowly and took a few steps away from Katarina, studying the bushes that surrounded the clearing they had ended up in. “…I would’ve thought that battling with people that you knew first would help you feel more comfortable, especially since you recently joined… but – apologies if I am stepping over boundaries – you seemed to avoid them more often than not, even with the strategy you proposed.”

_So he did notice… this must be it. This must be where… he throws me out, or decides to kill me, or–_

“I find that rather strange, because the two cavaliers that I – er, Kiran assigned to our team today – Luke and Roderick – seemed to know you rather well. They spoke quite highly of you and of their experiences with you… is there any reason you chose to avoid them?”

Katarina opened her mouth to answer, but her throat tightened. Something hot welled up at the back of her throat but she swallowed and lowered her gaze so it wouldn’t rise up again.

“…I’m sorry.” Katarina whispered, averting her eyes.

_I’m sorry… Luke, Roderick, Kris, Cecil, Ryan – everyone…_

“For… what?”

“I – I can’t. I… can’t…” She swallowed back the burning in her throat and bit her lip, ducking her head. She could feel Robin’s concerned gaze boring into her head and that only made her throat constrict even more.

Robin did not speak, but only rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

There was a long silence where Katarina only trembled and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to bite her tongue and stay that way. Yet somehow, Robin continued to stand by her, patiently waiting…

She couldn’t take it.

“H-have… you ever –“ She choked out, then forced herself to take a deep breath and speak again.

“Have you ever… had someone… really important to you? Someone… you would do anything for…”

Robin took a long moment to mull over her prompt.

“…yes, I’d say so.” Robin said cautiously, his hand still resting on her shoulder.

“And then… w-what would you do –” Katarina tried to force the waver out of her voice, but it only served to bring up the trembling again– “–if… f-for example… this person – they… no… what would you do if you had to choose between y-your friends… and this person.”

“Hm? Well…” Robin’s eyebrows shot upwards. “…the person I’m thinking about… they are – I’d consider them to be the same person, really. Are you talking about a lover, or –”

“N-no – no, never mind… it’s a foolish thought…”

“Katarina, please… whatever you have to say… it certainly cannot be any old issue, especially if you are struggling to speak of it.” Robin placed his other hand on Katarina’s shoulder, forcing her to look up at him. “Please… what is it that’s plaguing your mind so, and how may I help?”

“I–” Katarina moved to try pull away from his grasp, but somehow, it was as if her body didn’t have the strength to. She let her shoulders slump and released a shaky sigh of defeat. “…I’m sorry. For… bothering you with my troubles.”

“No, please, don’t be.” Robin reassured. However, his gaze darkened and he let his hands fall to his sides. “…no, I should be the one apologising. I shouldn’t have pushed you so…”

“…”

“Here. I’ll – I’ll tell you something… to amend for that. Something that – perhaps… well, I don’t quite know, but maybe you might find something in it.” Robin released a long sigh.

“…this person. He’s… very important to me. Yet… somehow, I have – I had recurring nightmares about him. At least, I had hoped they were nightmares…”

“Nightmares?” Katarina whispered.

“…yes. Let’s call them that for now… nightmares. Just… dreams.” Robin nodded slowly, gaze distant. “…I would be fighting with my dearest friend. I would be at his side on the battlefield. But then – he…”

He hadn’t even realised he’d closed his eyes before he heard Katarina let out a small noise. Robin opened his eyes again and realised his hand, held before him as if miming a grasp around a sword – was sparking with electricity again.

He shoved his hand back into his pocket. “–my apologies.”

“…and then?” Katarina mumbled, gaze fixated to Robin’s own.

“…I’d always end up… killing him. I’d find myself on the floor… and he’d be kneeling over me. But then… every time – I had to watch the light leave his eyes and I’d see… my sword through his stomach. And each time –” Robin swallowed. “He’d only smile… ‘promise me – you’ll get out of this place’…”

“He was – he is my friend. I couldn’t bear to think… why would – why would I do such a thing? There was no way… I’d ever kill him. That I’d ever… betray my dearest friend.”

Katarina swallowed hard, eyes glassy.

“…ah. I suppose you didn’t have to hear all of that, did you? I… got carried away there.” Robin smiled weakly. “I ended up burdening you myself with my own troubles. …it’s not something I tell just anyone, but – perhaps…”

“Robin…” Katarina trailed off.

“Well – never mind.” Robin said quickly. “As I said, it was just – a nightmare. And it didn’t answer your question… but… it was something that came to mind when you asked me about it.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “Anyway, I hope I didn’t burden you too much. We should head back to where the Summoner is, now; they’re probably looking for us. And about your friends…”

He inclined his head to the side, though his eyes were not focused on Katarina – they studied the horizon over the distance. “I will not pry about your reasons for avoiding them. But… I think you should take some time to consider… what exactly it is that’s plaguing you. And do remember I am here to listen if you need; it is only fair you be allowed to share your burdens after I’ve shared my own.”

“Thank you, Robin… I think… I might.” Katarina breathed.

_…he understands – he… understands me more than I thought he would. But – would it… if I opened up to him… No, I can’t. They’ll kill me – or, if not… everybody in this castle will hate me… I I’ll never have the chance to… finally amend everything I’ve done…_

“I won’t… deceive you.” She mumbled, more to herself than anything. “I won’t deceive everyone again. I promise… I’ll find some way to repent for my sins here in Askr.”

Robin turned around from where he had walked towards the bushes. With an outstretched hand, he offered: “Now, Katarina – the Summoner should be waiting for us. Let’s go, shall we?”

She looked up, brushing away her bangs from her eyes.

“Yes… let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The A Support and that extra chapter will be posted once they're done. It should be relatively soon, so keep an eye on this if you're interested!


	3. A Support

“Ah, I should’ve thought you might be in the library.”

“E-eh? Robin?” Katarina quickly shoved her notepad into her bag, eyes wide. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon–”

“Oh? You planned on seeing me later, then?” Robin chuckled. “I’m glad to see I haven’t scared you away just yet. If I’m intruding…”

“No! I mean, er, no, you can… stay. I-if you want.” Katarina felt her cheeks flush hot. _If you want?! You think you’re in any place to tell him what to do? Ha, foolish – he probably thinks you as an arrogant fool right now…_

Her sub-conscious was really starting to sound like her little sister, now –

_Your sister… your – family._

Robin hummed softly as he sat down in the chair next to hers, blissfully unaware of everything flying through Katarina’s head at the moment. “It’s a lovely day. Why aren’t you outside?”

“I’m… more of an indoors person.” Katarina admitted. Then, as an afterthought: “Why aren’t you outside, then?”

“Heh, touché.” Robin pulled something from his pocket – a book. “The same thing, really. There’s something lovely about being tucked into a cozy corner while everyone’s out and reading the afternoon away. It was Miriel who got me to do this, once, and it’s been a hobby ever since.”

“Is she a friend?”

“Hm? Oh, yes. I forgot… she’s not been summoned to Askr yet.” Robin opened the book to where the corner was creased neatly. “She was a good friend of mine back in the Shepherds… quite eccentric, once you got to know her. Serious and very precise, maybe – though I’ve heard from Lon’qu that she might be a little more careless than I’d taken her for. Really, though – how can you end up nearly walking off a cliff without realising it?”

“A cliff?!” Katarina gasped. “I-is she alright?!”

“Oh, Lon’qu managed to stop her before she did that. Funny, really, seeing how much he doesn’t like women… though I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t let one of the Shepherds die just because she was a woman – oh, but that’s another story for another time.” Robin chuckled wistfully, then frowned. “Oh, my apologies. I forgot discussing this topic might’ve brought up bad memories for you.”

“No… p-please, continue. It–”

_It’s taking my mind off my current dilemma…_

“–reminds me of… good times, actually. It’s… nice to hear about you, actually…”

“Really?” The note of surprise in Robin’s voice was quickly masked by his relieved laughter. “Well, if you really don’t mind… hah, the Shepherds were quite the eccentric, ragtag group. I could go on all day…”

Katarina leaned forwards to show listening attentively and trying to push aside the tendrils of worry crawling through her head.

_Should I just pretend nothing happened – no, I can’t. I must tell them. But… what if they hate me after I tell them… then I’d never be able to speak to them…_

“…and Lon’qu’s a myrmidon from Regna Ferox, which is a place ruled by the East and West Khans… ah, the Khans! They’re actually rather kind for such powerful warriors – you wouldn’t think it, but…”

_You’ve had this issue weighing on your heart ever since. And now you have the chance… you must speak to them. You can’t lose this chance… before they start hating you for ignoring them anyway…_

“Khan Basilio’s the West Khan of Regna Ferox. He’s friends – rivals – or something with the East Khan, Khan Flavia. They are quite intimidating – don’t let them hear me say that, though they’re not in Askr right now – but quite friendly. You know, keeping this between you and me… they bicker like children, sometimes…”

_You’ve promised yourself you would tell Robin, at least. He revealed his own tale to you… you should do the same, at the very least. And Robin’s nice… he wouldn’t… he wouldn’t turn his back on you._

“Katarina?”

_But if he did, you – you’d live through it. You don’t need – you don’t need him… You’ve faced worse before._

“Katarina!

“Ah!” Katarina jumped, the sharpness of Robin’s voice sounding all-too-close to something she was too familiar with. “I–I’m sorry!”

Robin was gazing at her with worry, a hand on her shoulder. “No, I should apologise for startling you. You seemed to be deep in thought… are you alright?”

“I’m–”

“If there’s anything I can help you with, please do not hesitate to ask. You did help me last time by listening, after all.” Robin smiled warmly at her, though his eyes still studied her.

“…well, there… might be something.” Katarina admitted, averting her eyes. She could feel Robin’s concerned gaze settling on her – but the silence was patient rather than awkward, and she found herself feeling, strangely, calmer than ever.

_This is it. I’m – I’m going to tell him… I’m going to tell the truth. I – I don’t care if he hates me or if everyone hates me anymore… they have to know._

“You know… what I said back then?” She said cautiously.

“About… choosing between your friends or the person who was most important to you?”

“Yes… that.” Katarina sighed. She pressed her clammy palms against her lap, staring down at her fingertips.

“Mhm.”

“I used to live in a place called Knorda… it was a terrible place, and I had no mother nor father to care for me. Sometimes, I–I’d… the people there would treat me like an animal… until – this… woman… came to take me away from this place. She was my saviour.”

“Hm.” Robin’s brow furrowed, but he spoke no words of pity or sympathy; he only nodded encouragingly at her.

“…she raised me and all of her children to be assassins.” Katarina’s voice was hushed. “Each day, we’d undergo brutal training… to become her puppets.” She shuddered at the word; it crept down her spine like icy claws. _No, Eremiya – she’s not here anymore… she’s not here now._ “I would do anything for her… so when Clarisse, Legion and I were assigned to assassinate the Hero-King Marth… I couldn’t say no.”

Her fingers curled against the fabric of the tunic gathered up on her lap. “So I was sent to play the spy. I pretended to be a willing Altean squire and walked to front gates… then I ran into – my friend.”

“Pray tell… is he, perchance–”

“Yes…” Katarina ducked her head. Even recalling his face now, her heart throbbed and her throat grew tight. “I… was a complete stranger. Yet he showed me kindness… and I, I p-pretended to be his friend. We joined the same platoon with several other squires, and I lay in wait to execute my mission, b-but… somehow…”

“…I d-didn’t want to do it anymore.” She choked out. “Each day was agony. Each day, I knew I was one day closer to the knighting ceremony, where the assassination would take place – and I knew I was one day closer to… t-turning my back on them. On him…”

“But you didn’t want to do it, didn’t you…?”

“I…” Katarina shuddered. “I wish I could say that. B-but… when I could’ve – I could’ve… chosen to do anything else… but I still did it – I still drugged the guards, led the assassination, _hurt_ my friends – no, they wouldn’t call themselves my friends…”

“So your reason for avoiding Roderick and Luke…”

“…they were in my platoon. They were my friends, as well… before I betrayed them.” Katarina whispered. “They’re… the Roderick and Luke here in Askr… they – they must’ve come from a world before this all happened, like Anna said, because… they were still squires, and they didn’t look upon me with that… disdain… A-and… I couldn’t bear to look at them giving me this kindness that I didn’t deserve.”

“Katarina.” Robin placed a hand upon her own – a steady, comforting weight that brought her back to reality. “Please… if you would spare an ear to hear me out. I may not know all of the pains you went through at your situation–”

“I–I didn’t go through any pain! They did – they had to face my backstabbing and my fire and I tried to kill–” Katarina cut her own outburst off, eyes wide. “N-no, wait, I didn’t mean–”

“Peace, Katarina. At ease.” Robin said softly. “…would you look at me?”

Katarina sniffed and blinked, feeling her eyes water and her cheeks growing warm. _Clarisse would be berating me for being a crybaby… as usual…_

“Katarina.” The use of her name – _my… fake name_ – pulled her from her thoughts again.

“I understand. The guilt you feel… everything you must’ve gone through.” The lull of Robin’s voice was oddly… soothing. Katarina blinked away the tears and looked up at Robin, who was still gazing at her with those gentle brown eyes. “I can understand it’s hard to get over that. But the decisions you made in the past don’t have to dictate who you are now. The very fact you are feeling guilt over this… it shows that you still care about them.”

“N-no, that’s not – I deceived them, Robin…” Katarina whispered. “I… lied to them. I hurt them. I don’t deserve – I don’t deserve this… I don’t deserve to look at them and act like their friends when I know…”

“It doesn’t have to be this way now.” Robin smiled – a touch of forlorn knowing in the curve of his smile, but still warm, comforting. “The circumstances in your past don’t have to apply here in Askr, Katarina. You understand you might’ve done wrong in the past… but that doesn’t mean you will forever be in the wrong. I’d say they’d still be willing to be your friends and open up to you, even if you told them the truth… after all, it is only the truest friends that will be by your side through thick and thin, even if the choices you’ve made may not have been the best ones.”

“Robin…”

“If you’d give some consideration to my advice… I’d say you should tell them.” Robin hummed. “After all… hiding everything and bottling everything up… is often not the best path to take. I had to learn that the hard way.” He closed his eyes. “…but… in the end, they stuck with me. They never gave up… he never gave up. Not even when – when all seemed dire and hopeless.”

“Kris…”

Robin gazed at her almost knowingly. “…you often find that the truest friends often are revealed to you through hardship.”

“You’re… right.” Katarina exhaled and closed her eyes, trying to picture them in her head. _Kris, Luke, Roderick, Cecil, Ryan… can I really–?_ “…Yes, I think – no, I will. I’ll tell them everything. And – and if they really… do just hate me in the end… a-at least I tried my best.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, Katarina.” Robin rose from his seat, pulling her with him. Katarina stood up mindlessly as well, letting him tug her along.

_“I’m sorry…” then… what next? I don’t want them to feel as if I’m trying to… make them pity me, but…_

“Ah, what a coincidence. Here they are!”

_But if I don’t tell them of… Eremiya and her orders…_

_Wait… what did Robin say just now?_

“…w-wait, what?!” _Wait, I’m not ready–_

“Oh! Katarina, we’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“Luke, this is a library. Cease your yelling.”

Robin shot her an encouraging nod. Katarina could only tremble at the sight of the two cavaliers before her.

“Katarina, you’re finally here!” Luke approached, grinning widely. Katarina said nothing. His smile vanished, replaced with a confused quirk of his lips. “Aw, Katarina – don’t you recognise me? It’s me, Luke, Paladin of Dawn! Surely you must – ah, I get it!” Luke snapped his fingers and grinned. “You must be stunned into silence by the Luke’s radiance!”

Roderick rolled his eyes and thwacked Luke across the back of the head. “I’d apologise for his behaviour, but you’re probably already used to it.” While Luke was complaining and rubbing his aching head, he offered Katarina a smile. “So you’ve been summoned to Askr as well? I’ve been wondering whether we’d get any of the other platoon members.”

“If it was Cecil, I think I would rather not.” Luke said glumly.

“Cecil is a perfectly capable squire, Luke.” Roderick’s brow furrowed. He looked like he was about to say more, but he shook his head and turned back to Katarina. “Anyway… I’m glad we finally have the chance to see each other. Luke has been the only other member from the Seventh Platoon that’s been summoned ever since I came here, so it’s good to see another member of the Seventh Platoon around.”

“Ah…”

“And – Robin from the World of Awakening, was it?” Roderick inclined his head towards Robin. “Greetings. You worked with us yesterday during the Summoner’s expedition, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.” Robin nodded back.

“You’re a tactician, aren’t you?” Luke pointed out. “Huh, I guess tacticians do like to stick together… you know, Katarina was a tactician for the Seventh Platoon back in Altea! I’d almost say her tactics rival the Luke’s mighty genius–”

“W-wait!”

“Huh?” All eyes turned to Katarina – two inquisitive ones and one reassuring. Katarina swallowed nervously around the lump building in her throat.

“There’s… something I want to say.”

“Why, you didn’t have to make it so–”

Roderick smacked Luke again. “Be quiet. This sounds like something… serious.” He studied Katarina carefully. “…am I right?”

Katarina bit her lip.

“…yes.” She finally whispered. “I have a confession to make.”

The two cavaliers watched her silently. Robin had slipped away at some point to hover at the side of the corridor, and her sudden notice of the lack of his presence suddenly made her clam up.

“…I–”

The words from her hastily drafted speech had all but slipped from her mind.

“I’m – I’m sorry.” She choked out.

“What–?”

“I’m sorry for lying to you and deceiving you and betraying you and I know I don’t deserve to be your friends anymore but please just forgive me so at l-least I can… atone for everything knowing that at least I don’t have this weighing on me anymore, a-and I, I really just…” Katarina dragged the back of her palm against her eyes and bit her lip, trying to fight off the tears. “I really enjoyed my time with you and being your friends and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for hurting you and–”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a moment. What do you mean?”

“I–I… I only ever joined the Seventh Platoon… to assassinate Prince Marth. Those were my orders.” She whispered, her lips feeling stiff around the words. “All of it… I lied to you… and I – I hurt you… when you tried to protect him…”

Luke raised his hands, gazing at her with concern. “Katarina… please don’t cry. I can’t bear to see beautiful ladies like–”

“Luke, not this time.” Roderick said sternly.

“No, wait – I mean it!” Luke protested. “Just let me finish my sentence at least!” He turned back to Katarina and grabbed her tear-streaked hands in his own, ignoring her feeble struggle to try pull herself away. “Kat. Katarina. Please–”

“I don’t deserve it! I–I know you’re from a different world, b-but you just keep on trying to be nice to me b-but I don’t deserve any of it and I’ve lied to you and I can’t do it,” she sobbed. She felt Luke pull her against his chest, even through her weak attempts to trying to push him away. She finally just closed her eyes and wept, shaking. “I can’t lie to you, even if you’re not – not the Luke and Roderick I know from my world… I can’t just pretend it never happened and just accept your kindness when I just don’t –”

“Katarina.” Luke pulled her away, only to hold her by the shoulders at arms-length to stare into her eyes. “Katarina, look at me.”

“…”

“All this stuff you’re saying… Katarina, you _do_ deserve – you’ve been our friend all this time.”

“T-that’s not true, not in–”

“Shh – no, give me a moment to speak.”

“…hic…”

“Katarina… you might not be the Katarina that I know back in my Altea, but… you’re still Katarina. And all this stuff you’re telling us… even if it might be true in your world…”

“It is true!” Katarina cried. “It will happen – the K-katarina in your world is nothing more but a lying, backstabbing traitor as well–”

“Katarina.” Luke said sternly. Katarina fell silent again, unused to the steeliness in Luke’s voice – and not finding the strength to continue speaking. “Maybe you might’ve done all of this back then in your world… and perhaps the ‘us’ of your world, if I can can even speak for them – they would’ve probably felt terrible. But… I think that ‘I’ would forgive you, no matter what, especially since you’re feeling so terrible about doing it. No, in fact – I’m certain of it! No matter what world it is, I’d never be able to stay mad at you!”

“…Luke, you don’t understand the severity of the situation.” Katarina mumbled. “I tried to _kill_ Prince Marth, after I promised – I promised Kris that I’d be at his side to protect Prince Marth too… and then I hurt you – I hurt you all when you were just protecting him… I know – you don’t have to pretend… that you don’t hate me for doing this.”

Luke hummed lowly under his breath. “Kris, huh? Haven’t heard that name in a while…” He shook his head. “But Katarina – at least, the Katarina I know – she’s always been kind and gentle… and she’s always been our friend. And she’s always been at Kris’s side, no matter what; and I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that you’re not that same. What would Kris – your Kris – say if he saw you now…?”

“Ghk!” Katarina shuddered. “No, no…. H-he doesn’t deserve–”

“Katarina, quell your tears. After all, the Legendary Luke is here to reassure you: no matter what you’ve done in your past in your world… we’re all friends here. And even if I knew all of the stuff you told me… it wouldn’t stop us from still being friends with the Katarina back in my world, right? After all… she’s been a great friend to us, and I’m sure there’s always a reason – then, in which case, if you only asked me, I would’ve done anything within the power of the Paladin of Dawn to help.”

“…”

“But if it would reassure you… I, Luke, Paladin of Dawn – hereby forgive you for anything you might’ve done!” Luke smiled and released her shoulders. “Now, Katarina – you should smile. After all, no lady looks their best when in wallowing in despair… and if I don’t do anything in my power to make a beautiful lady like yourself smile in my presence, then I’m not the Legendary Luke!”

“…Katarina.” Roderick said.

After having been practically enveloped in Luke’s presence – which had drowned everyone else out, Katarina jumped. With a shaky inhale, she turned to him. The other cavalier’s expression was unreadable.

“…this is all true.” The sentence came out more of a statement rather than a question, but Katarina nodded anyway, gaze falling to the floor; unable to meet his gaze anymore.

“I see.”

There was a long pause.

“Aw, c’mon, Rody! Cold-Eyes! You can’t be – Kat’s our friend. You’re not just going to give her the cold shoulder and leave, are you?!”

“She… tried to hurt Prince Marth.”

“C’mon! You know that – look, she even said it herself. You know that Katarina would never hurt anyone unless she had to.”

“Y-you’re wrong–”

“No, I’m not.” Luke looked up to fixate Katarina with a stare, expression unusually serious. Katarina gulped and fell silent again.

“So, Rody – we’ve worked with Katarina and the others for so long. You can’t be forgetting all the times we’ve shared?!”

“…”

Katarina shrank under his gaze. That tiny curling sapling of hope that had been growing in her chest – nurtured by Robin and Luke’s reassurance – was already wilting. _I… knew it…_

“It’s okay.” She muttered, her head dropping to her chest. “You don’t… have to forgive me – just… I just needed to get that off my chest. I’m going to go now…”

“No… it’s not that.” Roderick spoke aloud. “Katarina…”

Katarina looked up, cautiously meeting his eyes with her own. He was not looking upon her with disdain or hatred, and he hadn’t stabbed her through with a lance…

“You’re not the Katarina from my world.” The statement was directed towards her now. “And if what you’re saying is all true…”

“Gods, Roderick!” Luke scowled at the other cavalier. “Look what you’ve done! You should actually try be nicer sometimes!”

“…my apologies. I was… contemplating.” Roderick almost looked bashful at that, glancing off to the side and scratching the back of his neck. His gaze quickly returned to Katarina’s, though. “My apologies if I gave you the impression otherwise. While… I cannot say I might truly understand your actions in the past… and perhaps – now that you mentioned it… the Katarina of our world was sometimes distant, too, as if… contemplating something herself.”

“But…?” Luke prompted.

Roderick sighed. “I am sure there must be reasons for your actions, and you do truly seem to regret doing such a thing. And… since we are in Askr… there should be no better time than to simply forgive and move on. After all, there are many – ‘Heroes’ – here that… may not have always had the purest of intentions for their own worlds, and yet they are still accepted. It would not do to hold hatred for actions you’ve done in the past, especially since you’ve apologised for them – and… especially since we’ve never… experienced this ourselves. We aren’t the same people you knew in your world… you do know that?”

“Yes. But I still just can’t pretend it never happened, even if… you might’ve never known otherwise.” Katarina said quietly. “It would have been like deceiving you all over again, and… none of you deserve that. Not again. Not even if you’re not from the world I’m from.”

“Hm.”

“Besides, we haven’t seen you in ages, Katarina!” Luke exclaimed. “Since we’ve gotten all of these apologies and forgiveness things out of the way – wait.” He narrowed his eyes at Roderick. “You haven’t forgiven her yet.”

“I thought it was already implied.” Roderick raised an eyebrow. “But… if you insist.” He turned back to Katarina and inclined his head in an almost-bow. “Katarina, I forgive you for what your past self has done in your world.”

Katarina let out the breath she had unknowingly been holding. Her fingers slackened – _When had I tensed up?_ – and she let out a weak chuckle. “Thank you, Luke, Roderick – you… you don’t know how much this helped me.”

And it did – there was a strange lightness to her heart that hadn’t been there before. One that she was familiar with, especially during those times…

“Excellent!” Luke shouted. Someone from across the library shushed them loudly, clearly irritated. Luke lowered his voice just a fraction. “Alright, so now we’ve really gotten that out of the way – we have to catch up! You know how boring it’s been just hanging around Cold-Eyes all the time?! I almost wish anyone else was here with us – heck, I’d even deal with Cecil if it meant not having to face this rule-stickler all the time.”

“Excuse me?” It was Roderick’s turn to shoot his friend a glare now. “It’s called being sensible and responsible, and it’s something that you desperately need to learn–”

“Haha! Sounds more like boring to me.” Luke scoffed, though there was a grin on his face. “If we’re not going to have fun now, then when?”

“I don’t see how bothering the other Heroes, causing a mess for everyone and generally not being helpful is considered ‘fun’.”

“Not helpful–?! I’ll have you know Luke, the Paladin of Dawn, actually trains and…”

Katarina couldn’t help but smile at the sound of familiar banter. Robin sidled back over, though she only realised his presence once he rested a hand on her shoulder.

“You see what I mean?” Robin hummed. Katarina flushed and nodded. “I – I really… I guess I underestimated how… close our bonds really were.”

“You nearly stole the words straight from my mouth.” Robin chuckled and gave her a gentle push towards the two cavaliers. “You should go catch up with them. Or at least, stop them before they get us kicked out of the library. I don’t know about you, but I quite like my library reading sessions…”

“Hehe… alright.” Katarina wiped away her drying tears and smiled, even though she could feel that her face was still blotchy and red from her previous emotional outburst. “Er, and – thank you, Robin… you really helped me.”

“Oh, I did nothing of the sort. It was all you.” Robin smiled back. “Now, you should go and catch up with them. And there was one thing…”

“Hm?”

“I noticed two other people from the World of Mystery. They’re more on the mysterious side, but I’d guess that they seem to know you, since they’re from the same world as you… Does a man with a mask and a blonde girl sound familiar?”

“T-them?!” Katarina swallowed down her surprised yelp as best as she could. “Y-you, well…”

“It’d be good to get to know other people in the Order of Heroes, too.”

“Ha, er, sorry, no, that’s not happening…!” Katarina squeaked. “I–I’d rather not!”

Luke took this very convenient moment to get interrupted by the librarian – or whoever was on library duty, who was apparently Soren. “Didn’t you hear me tell you to quit your chattering?” The short mage hissed, waving a book like it was a weapon. “That’s it. Get out.”

“What? Why?! We’ve done nothing!”

Soren glared threateningly at Luke. The other green-haired male stood his ground and glared back.

Soren’s expression relaxed, almost becoming… serene. Luke blanched, taken off guard.

“Ike.” Soren called.

A voice came from behind the shelves. “What is it, Soren?”

Luke paled. “A-anyway, as I was saying, everyone, let’s go! Let’s not get in the way of the Radiant Hero, shall we?”

“You’re on your own, Luke. He might have vengeance against you for the prank you played last time on, but I have nothing to do with this.” Roderick pointed out.

Luke simply grabbed Roderick’s arm in one hand, Katarina’s hand in the other and dragged the two away. Katarina shot Robin a final wave and smile, which Robin returned; before the group of three disappeared around the corner (the opposite way of which Ike was).

Robin chuckled at their antics, until Soren turned his glare towards him. Robin quickly buried his head back in the book he had been holding, struggling to muffle his laughter.

_Ah, this reminds me of my times in the Shepherds._ His eyes drifted aimlessly across the page he was on. _I’m glad she managed to put an end to her worries._

_Speaking of which, though… she still seems to have some unfinished… business to catch up with, especially with those two other people. Clarisse and Legion, was it?_ Robin chuckled softly to himself, recalling the shocked expression on Katarina’s face. _She might find that dealing with them will a lot less difficult than she might’ve thought._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea was mostly inspired after I doodled Kris in the FEH Meet the Heroes style (you can see it on my Tumblr at 20lait1 if you want). Then I wondered; well, I noticed that Luke and Roderick are both referred to as squires, but when I checked Katarina's quotes, she mentions stuff about 'atoning for what she's done'. To be fair, she could just be referring just to the fact she's an assassin, but... I thought a bit deeper. Since FEH is all about different worlds and timelines, what I came up with is that Katarina comes from a different timeline after she tried to assassinate Marth and left, while Luke and Roderick are from their squire days. That's what these supports are mostly based off, anyway. One more chapter to go!


	4. Extra

The next few days seemed to pass in a breeze. Luke and Roderick introduced her to some of the other Heroes; Katarina had held off on greeting Prince Marth (or Hero-King Marth, as he was known here), despite their insistence that Marth was actually quite friendly and open with everyone, even squires like them. Katarina felt a little out of place next to the enthusiastic Owain and the kind but slightly intimidating Titania, but she still appreciated her friends making an attempt to welcome her to the Order of Heroes.

Speaking of the Order of Heroes, the prince and princess of Askr – Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena – were both surprisingly kind for their noble status. Sharena even invited Katarina out to tea with some of the other female Heroes. And Commander Anna and the Legendary Summoner were both friendly to her as well, though Katarina could’ve sworn that the Commander (the title still gave her shivers, but at least it didn’t drive fear into her heart anymore – rather, anticipation) seemed strangely familiar.

However, there were still several Heroes that she was still… uneasy around. Especially a particular two… if they could really be called ‘Heroes’ at all. _I’m still not used to that term…_

Of course, Naga didn’t appear to be smiling on her that one morning she was walking to the dining hall with Luke and Roderick. The moment that Luke had sprinted off, suddenly declaring something about a ‘beautiful cleric’ – closely followed by Roderick, who called for Katarina to head on first before following the green-haired squire (probably to ‘beat’ some sense back into him – not literally, Katarina hoped) – Katarina ran into the very two people she had been specifically relying on Luke and Roderick’s presence (since the two squires were tall enough for her to hide behind) to avoid.

Katarina felt her blood run cold as she stared into the unnatural, gleaming eyes of Legion and at Clarisse’s displeased stare. The two assassins stared back, suddenly stopping in their tracks in the middle of the corridor much to the displeasure of the other Heroes around them.

Katarina gulped and did her best to reassure herself: _They – now that we’re not working to assassinate Prince Marth anymore… and we’re here in Askr… t-they’re going to kill me for being useless, and for being friendly to Luke and Roderick, a-and–!_

“…Reese! It is you!” Legion bellowed.

Katarina braced herself for the killing blow that was most definitely to come – after all, this was the perfect time now that…

She was enveloped in a crushing pressure and suddenly yanked off her feet.

_This is it… At least I’ve made my confession to the others – I can at least die knowing that I’ve been forgiven by them–_

An irate voice shattered Katarina’s thoughts. “Legion, you stupid fool! What are you doing?!”

With a noise that was barely discernible through his mask, Legion finished whirling Katarina around and plopped her back on the ground. “Clarisse, we haven’t seen Reese in very long – we missed her! Nino tolds us about allses her brotherses! We like her storieses!”

Katarina blinked. She looked down at herself. She was still very much alive…

“You’ve been softening up way too much here with all these other so-called ‘Heroes’! Is there even a shred of a brain in any one of your heads?” Clarisse snapped, glaring at the masked man. Legion stared back, expression unreadable.

Clarisse turned to Katarina, scowling viciously. “You.”

“…sister.” Katarina whispered, because nothing would come to her mind that seemed appropriate to say.

Clarisse sneered at the word, but made no further comment on it. “Reese. So you finally decided to show up.”

Katarina kept her eyes on the ground in front of her. At least, until two boots appeared within her line of sight, and she realised Clarisse had come to a stop in front of her.

“Clarisse, weses don’t hurt her! Weses like Reese! Even you says–”

Clarisse’s eyebrow twitched. “Shut up!” She snapped at Legion, stomping her foot on the ground. Several of the Heroes that had been walking around them paused to gape until Clarisse glared at them and sent them on their way. “I said nothing of the sort!”

Legion cackled. “Uwee hee hee! Clarisse says that, but weses have heard–”

Clarisse glared at him. But to Katarina’s surprise, she did… nothing. Instead, she spun around to glare at Katarina. “This is all your fault!”

“M-my fault?” She asked timidly, now under Clarisse’s scrutinising glare. “I… only came here a week ago–”

“Shut up!” Clarisse snapped again, though her voice lacked any of the fire that it previously had. She crossed her arms and scoffed, looking away pointedly. “Ugh, you’ve always been a problem – even when you weren’t even here. And now this big oaf and his clones are absolutely useless, and he’s been whining all the time about you–”

“You tolds us you miss Reese too! While weses fighting the enemieses! You says you wishes that Reese was here!”

Clarisse snarled. “I said nothing of the sort! We were surrounded by armoured knights, that’s all – all I said that we should’ve had a mage on our side!”

“Weses heard differently.”

Katarina blinked as the two began to bicker; Clarisse’s face growing redder by the minute and Legion… well, she couldn’t see his face, but she was pretty sure he was smirking. Then what they were talking about finally hit her. _Wait… they’re… they’re not – they’re… different?_

“Do I need to put an arrow in you?!” Clarisse whirled around to glare at Katarina. _Oh, I didn’t realise I said that out loud…_ Katarina shook her head quickly, but for some strange reason, despite the threat, a smile was slowly crossing her face.

“And wipe that stupid grin off!”

“Now, now. Here at the Order of Heroes, we’re all supposed to get along, aren’t we? The Summoner wouldn’t want us fighting.”

“Robin!” Katarina cried, eyes lighting up at the sight of a familiar, friendly face. The white-haired tactician smiled and waved languidly back as he sauntered over to her side.

“I don’t care what the Summoner thinks!”

“Hm? Then why do I remember you saying to the Summoner that you’d, hm, ‘stick an arrow in them’ if they ‘didn’t take a break’?”

“That was a threat!” Clarisse bristled, but Robin seemed completely undeterred by it. Instead, he turned to Legion and offered a friendly smile. “Greetings. I don’t think we’ve spoken much before – I’m Robin, from the World of Awakening. You are?”

“We are Legion! Weses are allses Legion! Uwee hee hee!” Legion seemed ecstatic, looking in between Katarina and Robin rapidly. “Youses are Robin? Friend of Reese?”

“If I have the privilege of calling myself that, then yes.” Robin replied, glancing at Katarina.

“Ah… it’s not really a privilege…”

Robin chuckled. “Nonsense. It certainly has been–”

“Are you conversing with the enemy?!” Clarisse snapped, jabbing Legion in the ribs. Legion simply cackled again. “Wes are allses friends! The Order of Heroeses… we are working together!”

Robin smiled at Clarisse, attention turning back towards her. “And your name?”

Clarisse pointedly ignored the offered hand. “Stay out of this.” She growled. “This is none of your business.”

“Perhaps it isn’t, but I was simply introducing myself. I was hoping I’d be able to meet… friends of Katarina, yes?”

“Katarina?” Legion prompted, head jerking to the side erratically. Clarisse scoffed. “Still using that name? No surprise – you’ve never been a truly loyal follower of Eremiya…”

The name seemed to pique Legion’s interest. “Eremiya? She is not hereses! We have no orderses!”

Clarisse sneered. “Yeah, right.” But when she opened her mouth to say more, a strange expression crossed her face and she snapped her mouth shut again, lips twisted into a scowl.

“Are you not friends, then?” Robin enquired.

“No.”

“Weses are in a group!”

“Er…” Katarina mumbled. “We’re… Clarisse is my–”

“I am not your sister!” Clarisse crossed her arms. “You’re still clinging on to that stupid promise we made when we were children? Hah! That was long ago, Reese – forget it.”

Katarina smiled sadly. “Clarisse…”

“Now,” Robin said quickly, “I’ll–”

“Leave.” Clarisse ordered, pointing the opposite direction. To Katarina’s surprise (and dread), Robin only nodded. “Very well, then. I won’t intrude.”

“Robin…” She whispered under her breath. Robin shot her a quick, encouraging smile. “Don’t be swayed,” he hummed, lips curling up into the faintest smile. “Despite her words… you might see that she’s gotten more… comfortable to this place than it may seem. Or, in her words…” He seemed to be grinning mischievously at Clarisse as he spoke again. “‘Softened up’, was it?”

“Why, you…!”

Robin scurried away, chuckling to himself. Clarisse strung an arrow in rapid fashion and let it loose, but as if her arrow had a mind of its own, it simply seemed to curve around Robin and hit the floor next to him.

“Clarisse… is it – true…?”

“Weses been missing you very much! Clarisse said so herself!” Legion chimed in, as Clarisse violently protested “No! We’ve not – we’ve just…” Her expression twisted. “Fine, maybe it’s been different without you. But – but for the better! You’ve always been – useless…”

Katarina giggled softly.

“Stop laughing! This is no jest!”

“Hehe, I’m… sorry–” Despite how often those words came to her, this apology was one she didn’t mean at all. “– I’m just…”

“Uwee hee hee!”

“Both of you! Silence!”

“You… you two… you… missed me?”

Legion scratched his head. “Weses been confused. But we listens to small green child… Nino… and her storieses! We quite likes the storieses of her brothers! Reese… like a brother!”

“‘Sister’,” Clarisse corrected, then immediately her expression twisted into one of repulsion. Katarina only giggled. “I – see…”

“Now, come!” Legion gestured with a hand. “Weses… hugs, yes, yes!”

“We are not–!”

Before Clarisse could protest, Legion swept the two girls up into his arms and squeezed them. Clarisse made a sound that sounded like choking while Katarina could only giggled and timidly hug back.

“Ah, Nino! She promises when weses brothers together… we must goses! Timeses to show her! Uwee hee hee!”

“What?! No! Put me down this instant, you big–”

Legion whisked the two girls away under his arms, cackling all the way.

Robin peered back out from around the corner, smiling amusedly. However, he jumped as a heavy hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

“You’re not spying on people again, are you? You know what happened last time with Sully and her horse.” Chrom said cheerfully. Robin flushed with embarrassment and swatted his hand away. “I already told you, I wasn’t the one who was spying–!”

Chrom chuckled. “I jest. But truly, what are you doing?”

“Just… helping a friend out.”

“Oh?” Chrom looked out around the corner as well. “That’s quite like you. But… who are you looking for, exactly?”

“They ran off somewhere,” Robin replied, waving a hand. “But they’ve mended things out. At least, I hope. I’m just glad she’s finally more comfortable here at Askr…”

“Ah, doing your job as usual – I shouldn’t be surprised.” Chrom clapped Robin on the shoulder again. “But we’ve been waiting for you at the Dining Hall, you do realise that, right? Tharja seemed pretty insistent on crafting a new hex for your, uh, ‘kidnapper’, so I decided to come check on you.”

“I… see.” Robin grimaced at the thought. “Well, I’ll try put a stop to that. Thanks for coming though, Chrom.”

“Of course. We even saved you a plate… though if you don’t get back fast enough, I think Stahl might eat it too.”

“He’d better not.” The two men chuckled amongst themselves. “Alright, then – if you’re insisting, then let’s go. I’m starving.”

“And you’d better make it fast; I don’t know how long they could hold off Tharja…”

“Oh.” Robin shivered. “Right… I nearly forgot. Though I don’t really want to be the one to stop her…”

“Too late, friend. I’m afraid you’re our only option.”

“That’s what I feared.” Robin sighed; already, he could feel chills crawling down his spine at the thought. “Let’s make haste, then!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if they're OOC but I just wanted to write this just to finish this off. This was fun to write, and getting to write Clarisse, Legion and Katarina finally just being 'siblings' for once is just nice, you know? (I'm looking to write more FEH genfic things. Maybe. At least, I hope I can... but I think I might write some more FE12 things first. Let's see...!) But since you're here, thanks for reading! I really appreciate it!


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